Slick roadways caused more than 30 accidents on local roads and
highways Saturday and Sunday, but none resulted in major injuries
or road closures, according to local law enforcement agencies.
Slick roadways caused more than 30 accidents on local roads and highways Saturday and Sunday, but none resulted in major injuries or road closures, according to local law enforcement agencies.
The bulk of the crashes occurred Saturday, when large amounts of rain flooded area streets and highways.
Nearly an inch of rain fell on Morgan Hill over the weekend (.95 inches), and the forecast for the upcoming week calls for more rain, wind and cooler temperatures throughout the Bay Area, according to the National Weather Service.
Scattered showers are predicted to hit the South Valley each day until Friday, bringing an additional .3 to .4 inches of moisture, said Matt Gowdy, a meteorologist for the NWS in Monterey.
“By Friday the rain should finally be gone,” he said.
In Southern California, a spring storm from the Gulf of Alaska hit early Monday, bringing fog and heavy rains to southern parts of the state. The storm also dumped snow across the Sierra.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the mountains of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties.
While the soggy weather lasts locally, slippery driving conditions similar to Saturday’s will likely prevail, and motorists should be extra cautious when driving, said Officer Terry Mayes, spokeswoman for the area California Highway Patrol.
“People need to use their common sense and keep a lot more space between their vehicle and the person in front of them,” she said. “And you need to be extra careful in area’s like northbound 101 near Cochrane where you know there is going to be a bottleneck.”
Mayes also warned of potholes that fill up with water and highway off- or on-ramps with curves.
“You cannot panic and hit your breaks on curves in the rain,” Mayes said. “Every time you hit the brakes the car goes straight through the curve and you will end up where you don’t want to be.”
